Explorations in Bible lands during the 19th century - H. V. Hilprecht

376 EXPLORATIONS IN BIBLE LANDS
palace, was about sixteen to seventeen feet high, or a little
less than the remains of buildings above the latter, which
represent the post-Babylonian history of Nippur. This
mass of debris accumulated within a period of more than
three thousand years (3800-350 b. c), was graduated to a
certain degree, if I may use this graphic expression. For
a number of pavements, running almost parallel with that
of Naram-Sin, divided it into as many horizontal layers
of different depth and importance. At the time of excavation
none of these pavements were complete, for the
very simple reason that every king who levelled the court
with its ruined constructions and laid a new pavement,
saved as many of his predecessor's bricks as he could
extract from the rubbish without difficulty. The fact that
from the time of Ur-Gur practically the same mould (eleven
to twelve inches square), was adopted for the ordinary
baked bricks by all the Babylonian monarchs who repaired
the renowned sanctuary at Nippur, encouraged their liberal
employment of the old material, the more so as proper fuel
was always scarce and expensive in the valleys of the lower
Euphrates and Tigris.
The topmost of these pavements extended from the
" causeway " of the ziggurrat, a distance of sixty-three
feet towards the southeast, and was covered with debris
one foot to one and a half high. Though none of its
bricks was stamped, I have no doubt that it goes back
to Ashurbanapal, whose inscribed
bricks, sometimes green
(originally blue) enamelled on the edges, were repeatedly
found near its upper surface.
As Havnes reports to have seen
no trace of buildings of any sort resting upon the pavement,
this section of the court seems to have been a large
open place at the time of the last great Assyrian king
(seventh
century b.
c).
Several photographs clearly show that originally there was
another pavement about two feet to two and a half below